Serhat Albayrak, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkuvaz Media and Chairman of Executive Board who describes himself as a person “far from extremities but open to innovations” regards the pluralism and multicolorness in ATV and Sabah as one of the most significant values of Turkey and states that they have adopted an understanding of broadcast “far from nationalism, racism and sexual and social discriminations”. Albayrak announces that they shall establish a music and a children’s channels just after the news channel which will be starting to broadcast until the new year. The Executive Director of Marketing Türkiye Günseli Özen Ocakoğlu has made an interview with this significant name of Turkuvaz Media Group.
In 2008, Turkuvaz Media took over the Economic Integrity of Sabah-ATV which was one of the biggest media companies of Turkey. The Group thus entered into the realm of the media sector with this venture. Apart from ATV, the Group realizes a sale of 1 million pieces of newspapers in total per day with its newspapers such as Sabah, Takvim, Fotomaç and Yeni Asır and it also has 26 magazines such as Forbes, Para, Cosmopolitan, Şamdan, Sofra and House Beautiful. Turkuvaz Media has a broad web of distribution which makes distribution to five printing houses and 26 thousand points and it also has one of the two important distribution channels in Turkey. Furthermore, the Group holds 20 % of the advertisement market of television and newspaper in Turkey.
The administration of Sabah and ATV which determines their management strategies with the researchers they conduct are prepared for the competition by completing their entire infrastructural investments. Albayrak states that the outcomes arisen from the transactions conducted yet are positive. After all, when Çalık Group bought Sabah and ATV, there were many speculations in the media about how this new administration would govern these two powerful trademarks. How would Sabah which was “innovative, bold, young, civic and a little bit naughty” and ATV which was a “family and series channel” be affected from this change in their future broadcasting lives and to which extent would they stay impartial? In fact, the dreaded did not happen. Especially the strong castles of Sabah stayed in the newspaper and adopted their trademark.
The career story of Serhat Albayrak at the head of the executive board of Turkuvaz Media was woven along the axis of Turkey-USA. After he was graduated from the Department of Politics and International Relations of Boğaziçi University, he attended MBA in the field of finance in New York Pace University and worked as a Research Analyst in Wall Street during his education which lasted for two years. This period was exceedingly busy and harsh; however, despite these conditions, he never gave up his social relationships. While the life in the country was dominated by the period of 28th of February, he established the Turkish Students Union together with the entire students without discriminating among ideological tendencies in America.
He returned to country in 2000 and started to work in the finance department of Vestel. This was his first executive experience. He worked at Vestel as the Corporate Finance Director and Assistant Financial Affairs Coordinator. He returned to Çalık Holding in 2003 where he worked for a while in 1998 prior to MBA. He first worked as Deputy General Manager in the Textile Group and then the General Maanger of the Holding. He was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Star Newspaper. As Sabah-ATV was purchased, he again returned Çalık Group and assumed the duty of being Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkuvaz Media.
The occupations worked throughout the years provide various experiences
Serhat Albayrak is an executive with maths intelligence. Therefore, he is exceptionally good at the monetary affairs. He evaluates every occasion on an analytical basis. Albayrak states that the western and positive education he received in Boğaziçi was very important and remarks that everything related to the work and its outcomes could be measured. Albayrak says skills that acquired innately and those learned later could be different from each other and says that, “You may want to develop a career other than your innate skills and you can learn this afterwards. To me, the administratorship is also a skill which can be learned afterwards. The most important difference that is brought by the American culture is to provide the executive capability through MBA. Thus, the two outstanding factors of American capitalism are the American trademarks and American CEOs. The skills underlying the basic approach which American system presents itself are improved and career is sometimes developed on the basis of these improved skills. Personally, it was a decision for me to develop a career on finance together with human management. In today’s world, information is just present on the internet connection. For this reason, the information given through education is not that important anymore. The point is how you apply the education you have received. The manner of using information is the ultimate point to pay attention.”
Albayrak tells about another application which surprised him when he went to America from Boğaziçi University even though he basically received an American approach and says that “When I went to a finance institution to work for Wall Street, they told me ‘You are a Muslim. There is a small room upstairs where you can pray’. I was in a place where nobody was alienated due to their language, religion, gender, race and sexual preferences. The concept of “meritocracy” gains importance there, which means advancing in your career thanks to your skills. This is because; there are many Hindus and Japanese people in America who are working in the top management. And this is something that gives you self-confidence. When good and fine things are predominant and the conditions of competition are formed, you always get fine outcomes. We too here have such outcomes. While we were living as closed communities 10-12 years ago, we are now more open to each other. And this is very important for Turkey.
I listen to a great deal and I am reached quite easily
Well, can Serhat Albayrak apply this system of “non-othering” which he loves so much in his own management? Serhat Albayrak replies to this question as follows; “It is more appropriate that you ask this question not to me but to my friends who work with me. However, I can say that I am a person who listens and who is reached easily. I think every issue should be discussed in a democratic manner and I apply these principles in our administration. The most important reprisal for me and for our group is the equity, the sense of justice. It is our general principle to treat everyone fairly” and says that the entire activities of media are carried out with people, therefore it is very important that the employees are content.
He has new projects and objectives to attain
What happens if the same trademarks come across the worst thing to happen to a media trademark for several times and one after another? If the subject were not Sabah and ATV, the answer could be many things! Yet, just how many speculations and how many comments are there related to this purchase and this group! While their closest rival carries out its operation for 20 years with the same boss, it was a matter of great wonder what Çalık Group would do.
Serhat Albayrak tells about that period as follows: “Certain circles tried to create a pressure in the public opinion with unfair criticisms such as the tender process, the loans that were used and also Çalık Group’s inexperience in the media sector. Yet, in time it becomes clear that at the top of one of the greatest media groups of Turkey, there is a management which considers this venture in the long run, which believes in multivocality and which defends the rights of its employees. As for the contents of the publications, we were again a target of unfair criticisms made by certain circles. We preferred not to reply to this criticism and stayed silent. Those criticisms which were made in the beginning are not anymore present; because we are advancing in ethical and accurate journalism which has been maintained by Sabah and ATV for many years within the frame of the Çalık Holding Values. Our staff regards pluralism and multicolorness as one of the most important values of Turkey and maintains their duties w
ithin the frame of the principles of journalism without discriminating anyone because of their nation, race, gender and social order. Meanwhile, to me, one of the most important issues to focus on is that while the number of literate population increases, the readership of newspapers and the circulation decreases. As a group which entered in this field most recently, we think that all of us should assume responsibility in this issue. However, in my opinion there are some who should assume more responsibility than we do. Our duty should be to increase the trust in the media and to ensure that the works should be carried out by those who are journalists.”
NY Times was a first
As for the television, Albayrak just starts to mention about his new projects... “First of all, we are establishing a news channel. We shall have realized this project until the new year”. Albayrak then tells that operations continue regarding the establishment of a music and a children’s channels. “We shall actualize these projects as soon as possible” he says. Serhat Albayrak then tells about The New York Times: “Our association with The New York Times is the start of a completely new era in the Turkish media. After long and demanding operations, we brought together the New York Times which is one of the most prestigious newspapers of the world with our readers. Now, every Sunday, the readers of Sabah can also read the New York Times along with Sabah. Sabah Newspaper keeps an equal distance to every section of the society thanks to its accurate and impartial understanding of journalism. Its priority is the public’s freedom of information. Perhaps the most important issue is Sabah’s understanding of innovati
on which is retained in its genes. This is because, Sabah has always become one of the most distinguished newspapers of Turkey and it maintains its pioneering duty of bringing in the firsts.”
We did not conduct a dismissal, but we strengthened our team
Serhat Albayrak Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Turkuvaz Media and the Chairman of the Executive Board “In the beginning, of course we knew that there would be certain prejudices in the employees of Sabah-ATV. We tried to explain to our employees that such applications were not present in any companies of the group, not just in Sabah and ATV and that the business ethics and equity were very crucial for us. Therefore, rather than dismissing our employees, we strengthened our team and despite the wages of our employees were in parallel with the market, we made arrangements in their wages, with a higher increase for those receiving lower wages. Because, we were working together with a group of employees of a media institution the owner of which had changed four times until we took over and which was governed by TMSF (Saving Deposit Insurance Fund) twice. Therefore, it was very crucial for the motivation of our employees and the success of the business.”